Haha!gavinmac wrote: Scoring tends to view things from his BKK international firm bubble and discounts the reality that the majority of expats live in squalor.
I'd say the truth lies in between. I know people making big six figure salaries, and volunteers/Phd students surviving off savings or living off a tiny stipend. Scobienz likes to hang out on 172 a lot, so I'm surprised he puts the figure so high. Maybe I'm just judging books by their cover, but I rarely see many executive types over there. Like most, I know a few people on both ends of the spectrum, and though I think one tends to hang out with people in his/her own salary range, I'd say the percentage of expats in Cambodia who actually save 1000$ per month (not "capable of saving") is probably around the 7-12% mark. I'd be very surprised if it were over 15%. I don't know, maybe I live in a bubble of squalor, but I find "lower-end" expats are far more numerous (or perhaps visible?). You need to also remember that there are tons of expats in Battambang, Kampot and Sihanoukville as well.scobienz wrote:I would say the figure in Cambodia is closer to 20-25%, largely diluted by GM's beloved Sihanoukville deathpats. I would remind him, though, that the vast majority of expats in Cambodia live in Phnom Penh, and are rarely seen outside his three block bubble of Garage Bar, Larrys (most of whom's patrons would like be able to save $1000 a month, by the way) and Street 104. That's why he has never seen them.
Let's also not forget that statistically, the average westerners aren't even able to save that much per year:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/savi ... ralia.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlaura ... e-average/
We also shouldn't confuse the ability to save 1000$ with the actually saving it. I know people making relatively big money here, but they're barely able to save 200$/month. Others make far less but are able to save upwards of 1000$. As Pacman said, it pretty much boils down to individual discipline and having a set plan that you (more or less) adhere to.